So fans of University Challenge<\/a> were concerned when presenter of 28 years Jeremy Paxman<\/a>\u00a0announced he was stepping down from the show<\/a> after last season.<\/span><\/p>\n However, they needn\u2019t have worried, as the BBC had a new face lined up for the role of quizmaster<\/a> \u2013 broadcaster and journalist Amol Rajan<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But as the show prepares to start its summer season on Monday 17th July, who is Rajan and what has he said about stepping into Paxman\u2019s shoes? Read on to find out\u2026<\/span><\/p> Age:\u00a0<\/b>40<\/p>\n Job:\u00a0<\/b>Journalist, broadcaster and writer<\/p>\n Instagram:\u00a0<\/b>@amolrajan<\/a><\/p>\n Twitter:<\/b> @amolrajan<\/a><\/p>\n Born in Calcutta, Rajan and his family moved to the UK when he was three, and the star was raised in Tooting, South London.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Gaining a place at the University of Cambridge to read English, he was editor of the student newspaper for a term in 2005. <\/span><\/p>\n After graduating, Rajan went on to work at The Independent and the London Evening Standard, as well as becoming a secondary presenter on Channel 5 debate show The Wright Stuff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aged 29, Rajan became the first non-white editor of a national newspaper in over a century when he was put at the helm of The Independent, and he quit the role in 2016 when he was appointed the BBC\u2019s first media editor, also joining Radio 4\u2019s Today programme five years later.<\/span><\/p>\n Most recently, Rajan has interviewed the likes of Succession actor Brian Cox, controversial broadcaster Piers Morgan \u2013 and in June, he secured Phillip Schofield\u2019s first TV interview<\/a> since his resignation from ITV the month before. <\/span><\/p>\n In September 2013, Rajan married academic Charlotte Faircloth in Cambridge. The couple live in London and share three children.<\/span><\/p>\n Rajan can\u2019t wait to start his new job as quizmaster \u2013 which he has described as \u201ca proper dream come true\u201d!<\/span><\/p>\n However, the opportunity has come tinged with sadness after the death of his father.<\/span><\/p>\n Last August, he told his fans via Instagram: \u201cI have been in a pit of grief since my dear Dad died. It\u2019s hit me extremely hard, and changed me profoundly. I know we all have to go through it, and I\u2019m doing all that processing that people talk about, but it sucks.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEspecially when very cool life events like this happen, and even more so when it\u2019s do with universities and knowledge. That was everything for my dear Dad, still the cleverest guy I ever met, and someone who believed so deeply in ideas and erudition, and who venerated great minds and quotations and pedagogy. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe would have loved to see me do this show. Then again, as my brother says, he would have loved me to pay off my mortgage even more\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rajan continued: \u201cStill, this is such a special moment. I can honestly say University Challenge is my favourite show. I love it. The music, the students, the format, the history, the shameless intellectual ambition. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd I love being a quizmaster, as my mates can attest. So this feels massively humbling.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Read more Entertainment<\/a> news:<\/strong><\/p>\n He then paid tribute to the show\u2019s only two hosts, calling Bamber Gascoigne \u201cclever, urbane, witty, kind\u201d and Jeremy Paxman \u201ca giant in British broadcasting and culture ever since I can remember\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe has total authority behind that desk: something I will have to earn,\u201d Rajan said. \u201cThanks largely to him, the show \u2013 and format (which was imported from America 60 years ago) \u2013 is stronger than ever.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He added: \u201cI know from being a contestant recently that there is a phenomenal production team. I can\u2019t wait to work with them, and to read my first Starter for 10. I may have a quiet word with my old man in advance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n University Challenge returns to BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on Monday 17th July at 8:30pm.<\/b> Check out more of our <\/b>Entertainment<\/b><\/a> coverage or visit our <\/b>TV Guide<\/b><\/a> and <\/b>Streaming Guide<\/b><\/a> to find out what\u2019s on.<\/b><\/p>\n Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only \u00a31 with delivery to your home \u2013 <\/b>subscribe now<\/b><\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to <\/b>The Radio Times Podcast<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Here’s everything you need to know about the new University Challenge host, Amol Rajan. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":34577,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/who-is-amol-rajan-meet-jeremy-paxmans-university-challenge-replacement.jpg",1228,818,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/who-is-amol-rajan-meet-jeremy-paxmans-university-challenge-replacement-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/who-is-amol-rajan-meet-jeremy-paxmans-university-challenge-replacement-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/who-is-amol-rajan-meet-jeremy-paxmans-university-challenge-replacement-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/who-is-amol-rajan-meet-jeremy-paxmans-university-challenge-replacement-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/who-is-amol-rajan-meet-jeremy-paxmans-university-challenge-replacement.jpg",1228,818,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/who-is-amol-rajan-meet-jeremy-paxmans-university-challenge-replacement.jpg",1228,818,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Here's everything you need to know about the new University Challenge host, Amol Rajan.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/34576"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Who is Amol Rajan?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\""Amol\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/Amol-Rajan-28620da.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Amol\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>What has Amol Rajan said about hosting University Challenge?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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